Gender Pay Gap Report 2025

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Foreword – Chief Constable BJ Harrington

Studio photograph of BJ Harrington in full uniform

As Chief Constable, I'm proud of our progress in building a workforce that reflects our communities. Between April 2023 and March 2024, we employed 1,392 women police officers and 1,607 women police staff. While there was a slight decrease in women at the Chief Inspector and Superintendent levels, appointments like Rachel Nolan as Deputy Chief Constable show ongoing commitment to gender balance in senior roles.

In police staff positions, women's representation remained stable, with a notable increase in senior staff grades. Our gender pay gap reduced by over three percent since last year, though challenges persist due to service length differences and grade distributions.

We continue to prioritise recruitment, retention, and career progression through targeted initiatives, striving for a fully representative and inclusive workforce at Essex Police.

Workforce breakdown by gender

The below table shows the gender breakdown (headcount and percentage of the total workforce) by gender and employee group for those included in the gender pay gap analysis as at 31st March 2025. The table includes information for Essex officers and for staff.

Gender	Officers	Staff	Total
Male	2307	754	3061
Female	1417	1590	3007
Total	3724	2344	6068
Male %	61.95%	32.17%	50.44%
Female %	38.05%	67.83%	49.56%

The table demonstrates that there are 1417 female officers, which equates to 38.05% of the total officer headcount. This is an increase when compared to the position as at 31st March 2024 (1392 / 36.97%). For staff, the proportion of females continues to be much higher at 67.83% (1590 out of 2344) which represents an increase (as a proportion) when compared to 31st March 2024 (67.21% / 1607).

Officers by rank

The following table shows the rank breakdown by gender for officers as at 31st March 2025 by headcount and percentage. The table also includes the previous reports female % as at 31st March 2024.

Rank	Male	Female	Total	Male %	Female %	Previous Report Female %	Change to Last Report
Chief Officer	3	2	5	60.00%	40.00%	16.67%	23.33%
Chief Superintendent	10	2	12	83.33%	16.67%	23.08%	-6.41%
Superintendent	17	5	22	77.27%	22.73%	20.00%	2.73%
Chief Inspector	37	12	49	75.51%	24.49%	22.64%	1.85%
Inspector	109	52	161	67.70%	32.30%	31.79%	0.51%
Sergeant	380	165	545	69.72%	30.28%	28.60%	1.67%
Constable	1751	1179	2930	59.76%	40.24%	39.09%	1.15%
Grand Total	2307	1417	3724	61.95%	38.05%	36.97%	1.08%

The table demonstrates there have been increases in the proportion of all ranks with the exception of Chief Superintendent (which has reduced from 23.08% to 16.67%. The most notable increases are in Chief Officers (from 16.67% to 40.00%) and Superintendent (from 20.00% to 22.73%). With regards to Senior Leadership roles, there are a total of 88 Chief Inspectors and above, of which, 21 are female (23.86%). This is a marginal increase when compared to 31st March 2024 (20.00%) when measured as a proportion, but the headcount has remained the same (albeit with different headcounts across individual ranks).

Staff by grade

The following table shows the rank breakdown by gender for staff as at 31st March 2025 by headcount and percentage and the position when compared to the previous year. All Essex Staff roles are set against a specific grade as set out below.

Grade Range	Male	Female	Total	Male %	Female %	Previous Report Female %	Change to Last Report
Senior Staff (SPS 1 & Above)	15	17	32	46.88%	53.13%	53.13%	0.00%
PO 6	5	2	7	71.43%	28.57%	25.00%	3.57%
PO 5	13	17	30	43.33%	56.67%	53.33%	3.33%
PO 4	17	30	47	36.17%	63.83%	64.29%	-0.46%
PO 3	33	25	58	56.90%	43.10%	39.66%	3.45%
PO 2	45	37	82	54.88%	45.12%	45.68%	-0.56%
PO 1	50	52	102	49.02%	50.98%	47.27%	3.71%
SO 2	75	113	188	39.89%	60.11%	59.85%	0.25%
SO 1	73	115	188	38.83%	61.17%	59.36%	1.81%
SCALE 6	84	150	234	35.90%	64.10%	65.75%	-1.65%
SCALE 5	72	272	344	20.93%	79.07%	76.14%	2.93%
SCALE 4	184	520	704	26.14%	73.86%	72.85%	1.02%
SCALE 3	49	167	216	22.69%	77.31%	80.39%	-3.08%
SCALE 2	3	14	17	17.65%	82.35%	62.96%	19.39%
PCSO	36	59	95	37.89%	62.11%	63.11%	-1.00%
Grand Total	754	1590	2344	32.17%	67.83%	67.21%	0.62%

The report demonstrates that the proportion of female senior staff has remained at 53.13%. There have been fluctuations across all the other grades, the most notable reduction in scale 3 (-3.08%) and scale 6 (-1.65%) albeit there continues to be a higher proportion of females overall in those grades. The most notable increases are in scale 2 (+19.39%) and in P01 (+3.71%), P06 (+3.57%) and P03 (+3.45%). Of all the grades, only 4 (P06, P03, P02 and P01) have a lower proportion of female staff compared to males.

The following section details the differences in pay between males and females and the resulting pay gap shown as a mean and median average.

The gender pay gap

The combined mean and median figures outlined below encompass both officers and staff, who are distinct groups. Their pay, grading/rank structures, and gender compositions vary. Officers follow national pay scales, which are generally higher than the average salaries for staff. A higher proportion of staff are female than is the case for officers. In addition, in both cases, pay rates rise incrementally. As a general rule individuals within a specific rank or grade with a longer length of service will be paid at a higher rate.

Mean Pay Gap

The combined Mean Pay Gap for officers and staff in 2024/25, was 11.31% in favour of males compared to 11.69% in 2023/24. This is a decrease of 0.38 percentage points.
For officers only, the Mean Pay Gap was 6.19% in favour of males (compared with 6.54% in 2023/24).
For staff only, it was 9.23% in favour of males (compared with 9.43% in 2023/24).

Median Pay Gap

The combined Median Pay Gap for officers and staff in 2024/25, was 22.18% in favour of males compared to 18.76% in 2023/24. This is an increase of 3.42 percentage points.
For officers only, the Median Pay Gap was 0.71% in favour of males (compared with 10.60% in 2023/24).
For staff only, it was 8.59% in favour of males (compared with 8.95% in 2023/24).

For officers, there is pay gap primarily because there is a higher overall average length of service for males compared to females across the majority of the ranks, meaning a lower number of females have remained in force to progress to higher scale points compared to males. For example, as at 31st March 2025, a total of 40.20% of females were at the highest police constable scale point compared to 48.83% males. As a result, this means that we have a higher number of male officers on higher scale points compared to females. This rank represents the largest proportion of our officers and thus has a greater proportionate impact on the pay gap. In addition, the recent success in female recruitment will lead to a higher proportion of female officers at the lower pay scales within this group.

With regards to staff, the gap exists primarily due to the fact that we have a much higher proportion of females in lower graded roles (74.81% in scales 2-4) compared to males (25.19%). Higher numbers of our staff work in roles within these grades, thus higher impact on the pay gap.

Pay quartiles

The table below shows the differences in pay for the genders when the pay points are grouped into quartiles. The quartiles for officers and staff vary, however as a general approximation the lower quartile contains hourly pay rates of between £10.76-£17.12 per hour (ph), lower middle £17.13-£20.97 ph, upper middle £20.98-£24.96 ph and upper £24.97 and above. The figures in grey represent 2024 values.

Quartile	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
	Officers		Staff		Combined Officers and Staff
Upper Quartile	71.75%	28.25%	42.83%	57.17%	68.65%	31.35%
Upper Quartile	72.72%	27.28%	48.83%	51.17%	69.01%	30.99%
Upper Middle Quartile	65.95%	34.05%	34.34%	65.66%	57.55%	42.45%
Upper Middle Quartile	64.29%	35.71%	33.11%	66.89%	54.52%	45.48%
Lower Middle Quartile	60.36%	39.64%	24.46%	75.54%	45.68%	54.32%
Lower Middle Quartile	58.99%	41.01%	31.64%	68.36%	45.68%	54.32%
Lower Quartile	54.73%	45.27%	24.75%	75.25%	35.93%	64.07%
Lower Quartile	53.50%	46.50%	22.81%	77.19%	35.93%	64.07%

The table indicates a pay gap in favour of males. When focusing on the combined position, the data demonstrates that the force has more males in senior positions than females and that in comparison to last year’s figures, the percentage of females represented in the upper middle, lower middle and lower quartiles has reduced. However, there has been an increase in the percentage of females represented in the upper quartile.

For officers only, there has been a reduction in the percentage of females represented in the upper middle and lower middle quartiles but an increase in upper and lower middle quartiles.

For staff there has been a reduction in the upper middle quartile and an increase in the upper quartile (with the other quartiles remaining the same).

Bonus pay gap

The following table shows the mean and median of all bonuses paid during the 2024/25 financial year. The bonuses paid include firearms payments, detective payments, unpleasant scene payments and honorarium payments awarded by a central remuneration panel who review submissions against relevant criteria.

Gender	Number of recipients	% receiving bonus payment	Mean Payment	Mean Bonus Pay Gap	Median Payment	Median Bonus Pay Gap
Male	715	23.36%	£852.93		£500.00
Female	490	16.30%	£862.35	-1.10%	£1,200.00	-140.00%

Mean Bonus Pay Gap

The combined Mean Bonus Pay gap is -1.10% in favour of females which represents a reduction compared to 2023/24. (22.29%).
For officers only, the Mean Bonus Pay Gap was -2.06% in favour of females (compared with 20.52% previously).
For staff only, the Mean Bonus Pay Gap was -12.37% in favour of females (compared to -39.34% previously).

Median Bonus Pay Gap

The Median Bonus Pay Gap in 2024/25, for officers and staff combined was -140.00% in favour of females (compared to 0.00% in 2023/24).
For officers only, it was -119.22% in favour of females (compared to 0.00% in 2023/24).
For staff only, in 2024/25 it was -33.33% in favour of females compared with 0.00% in 2023/24.

Of note, for officers, the majority of bonus payments made relate to either a Detective or Firearms Payments.

Essex Gender Pay Gap Action Plan 2025/26

Purpose

The aim of this plan is to reduce and ultimately eliminate unjustified pay gaps by implementing targeted, evidence-based interventions that promote equity, inclusion, and progression.

Governance & Accountability

Lead Department: Positive Action Team
Oversight: Force Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Board
Reporting Frequency: Quarterly progress updates to Chief Officer Group
Review Date: March 2026

Gender Pay Gap

Key Issues Identified:

Pay gap in favour of males across all measures.
Underrepresentation of females in senior ranks and grades.
Higher proportion of females in lower graded staff roles.

GPG	Actions	Timeline	Owner	Success Measure
Career Progression Support	Launch mentoring and sponsorship programmes for female officers and staff. Promote internal development schemes with targeted outreach to female employees.	By Q2 2026/27	Positive Action Team and HR People Development Lead	Increased female participation in development programmes and promotions.
Retention Strategy	Conduct exit interviews and engagement surveys to understand barriers to long-term service. Provide regular reports on identified trends and proposed action to address.	By Q4 2025/26	HR Organisational Management and SLT Leads	Improved retention rates and reduced gender disparity in service length.
Recruitment Monitoring	Track gender distribution at entry points and across pay scales. Ensure recruitment campaigns are inclusive and gender-balanced.	By Q1 2026/27	Corporate Recruitment Team and Positive Action Team	Balanced gender representation in new hires and across ranks.
Leadership Representation	Track and monitor female representation in senior roles. Promote visibility of female leaders through internal communications and events.	Ongoing	Positive Action Team	Increased female representation in senior leadership roles.
Bonus Equity	Review bonus allocation criteria and ensure transparency in decision-making. Monitor gender distribution in bonus awards annually.	Review by Q4 2025/26; annual monitoring	Remuneration Panel	Equitable bonus distribution across genders.
Data Monitoring & Reporting	· Publish Annual Pay Gap	Annual reporting dashboard by Q1 2026/27	HR Employee Relations	Transparent reporting and data-driven decision making.
Policy Review	· Introduce regular quarterly review of bonus payments.	First review by Q1 2026/27; annually thereafter	HR Strategy	Policies reflect inclusive and equitable practices.
Training & Awareness	· Deliver training on unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, and equitable decision-making.	Already delivered	Head of Learning and Development	Improved awareness and inclusive behaviours among managers.
Employee Engagement	· Host listening to sessions and feedback forums to inform future actions.	Engagement activities ongoing from Q4 2025/26	Positive Action Team, Human Resources People Development Lead and Staff Support Networks	High employee participation and actionable feedback.

PDF version

Essex Police Gender Pay Gap Report 2025.

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